http://www.veganbaking.net/
http://www.veganbaking.net/images/stories/logo.pnghttp://www.veganbaking.net/
http://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/five-types-of-non-dairy-milk-reviewedhttp://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/five-types-of-non-dairy-milk-reviewed
There's been lots of development in the world of non-dairy milk in the last couple years. We used to just have soy milk then rice milk showed up on the scene followed by almond milk. Lately coconut milk and hemp milk have arrived on market shelves. I've been using soy milk religiously ever since I switched from dairy milk back in ye olden days and loved it so much I never really felt the need to move away from it. Non-dairy milk is such an important staple in vegan baking that recently I felt it would be beneficial to the world of vegan baking to sit down and take a really close look at what I consider to be the five most popular non-dairy milk types. I wanted to see how they measure up against each other from a vegan baking perspective. How do they taste? How creamy are they? Do they curdle when exposed to apple cider vinegar? Will my recommended non-dairy milk for vegan baking, soy milk, retain it's vegan baking crown or will another non-dairy milk prevail? Read on to see what I found. ]]>Fri, 15 Oct 2010 03:00:48 -04006692010-10-15http://www.veganbaking.net/recipes/breads/enriched-breads/yeasted-enriched-breads/no-knead-whole-wheat-sandwich-breadhttp://www.veganbaking.net/recipes/breads/enriched-breads/yeasted-enriched-breads/no-knead-whole-wheat-sandwich-bread
This Vegan No Knead Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread is now my go-to vegan bread recipe because it's simple to make and is a great example of how wet doughs can create wonderfully light and spongy breads. The higher water content allows the gliadin and glutenin in the flour to align into tight gluten bonds over time so you can forget about all that kneading drama. The result is a fluffy, chewy loaf that's perfect for sandwiches. Feel free to use this bread as a starting point and substitute a ½ cup of the flour for things like wheat germ, wheat bran or oat bran. It's important to note that due to the wetness of this dough it's only suitable for baking in a loaf pan. ]]>Tue, 05 Oct 2010 13:20:44 -04006672010-10-055http://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/how-to-tell-when-bread-is-done-bakinghttp://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/how-to-tell-when-bread-is-done-baking
The art of bread baking relies on mastering several techniques at the same time. These techniques are crucial to baking bread that has both a good texture and flavor. In order to help us understand this we need to realize that one of these techniques; the baking, consists of three things: The caramelizing of the sugars, the roasting of the proteins and the gelatinization of the starches all contained within the flour. Temperature, oven placement and baking time have everything to do with how much these effects occur in our bread and it vastly effects the outcome. Bread baked too much will have a dry, burnt feel as the proteins, starches and sugars burn. Bread baked too little will lack flavor due to the proteins not being roasted enough and the sugars not being caramelized sufficiently. It can also inhibit a yeasty, grainy flavor due to the alcohol from the yeast not being cooked off and the starch crystals not getting gelatinized enough. ]]>Sat, 25 Sep 2010 20:35:25 -04006632010-09-25http://www.veganbaking.net/recipes/frozen-desserts/ice-creams/hazelnut-coffee-ice-creamhttp://www.veganbaking.net/recipes/frozen-desserts/ice-creams/hazelnut-coffee-ice-cream
This Vegan Hazelnut Coffee Ice Cream recipe takes advantage of hazelnuts, also known as filberts for its base and to enhance coffee flavors. Early trials of this vegan ice cream used toasted hazelnuts which brought out slightly deeper hazelnut flavors but left miniscule granules in the ice cream which affected creaminess. If you have a VitaMix, go ahead and toast them. If you have a regular blender leave the hazelnuts untoasted so creaminess isn't affected. The ice cream will be delightful either way, especially when topped with Vegan Double Chocolate Sauce. ]]>Wed, 22 Sep 2010 01:21:20 -04006612010-09-22http://www.veganbaking.net/recipes/frozen-desserts/ice-creams/coconut-rum-raisin-ice-creamhttp://www.veganbaking.net/recipes/frozen-desserts/ice-creams/coconut-rum-raisin-ice-cream
This Vegan Coconut Rum Raisin Ice Cream recipe is a great example of how suitable coconut milk can be as a rich, creamy base in vegan ice creams. The coconut flavor is further enhanced by the addition of toasted shredded coconut then complimented by just the right amount of rum soaked raisins. It's important to note that adding more than 2 Tablespoons of rum is discouraged because it will drastically increase the freezing temperature resulting in ice cream that's too soft.
]]>Wed, 15 Sep 2010 04:30:51 -04006582010-09-15http://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/how-to-skin-hazelnutshttp://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/how-to-skin-hazelnuts
Hazelnuts, also known as filberts usually work best in a recipe when their skins are removed. This is because the skins are bitter and they can alter the look of the final product based on their dark color. There are two ways to skin hazelnuts: the old way and the new way. The old way involves toasting the hazelnuts, wrapping them in a towel and rubbing the skins off. This method doesn't really remove all of the skins, most of which get embedded into the towel. Nice hazelnut towel you've got there. Now for the new method.
]]>Sun, 05 Sep 2010 00:57:33 -04006552010-09-05http://www.veganbaking.net/recipes/breakfast/pancakes/buttermilk-pancakeshttp://www.veganbaking.net/recipes/breakfast/pancakes/buttermilk-pancakes
This Vegan Buttermilk Pancake recipe takes advantage of soy milk's ability to curdle when exposed to acids. You can choose lemon juice or even cream of tartar as your acid of choice but I prefer the additional flavor complexity that apple cider vinegar contributes. Buttermilk flavor is also enhanced by adding Vegan Butter or margarine to the batter which also adds moisture and fluffiness. Hemp and almond milk will curdle to a certain degree but not as much as soy milk. Coconut milk and rice milk are not recommended for this recipe because they lack sufficient protein and will not curdle at all. Top these vegan pancakes with maple syrup, berries and/or a dollop of almond butter. ]]>Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:04:27 -04006532010-09-015http://www.veganbaking.net/recipes/other-vegan-eats/three-bean-hummushttp://www.veganbaking.net/recipes/other-vegan-eats/three-bean-hummus
During the presidential election of 2009 my roommate told me about a pretty hilarious campaign funding tactic: Ralph Nader had an offer where if you donated a specific amount of money to his campaign you would receive his grandmother's hummus recipe in the mail. I'm about to one up Ralph Nader. I'm going to offer you my Three Bean Hummus recipe right here, for free. No donation to my upcoming presidential campaign required.

This Three Bean Hummus recipe features chickpeas, black beans and lentils which all contribute different angles of legume flavor. The result is a hummus with a more depth of flavor than regular hummus that's based on 100% chickpeas. This hummus is extremely versatile so don't be afraid to use this recipe as a base and swap out the legumes with any variety that you choose. Also feel free to swap out the tahini with other nut butters. I've been making this recipe for over a decade and I've done all sorts of variations with great results. ]]>Sat, 28 Aug 2010 03:40:53 -04006512010-08-285http://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/how-to-toast-coconuthttp://www.veganbaking.net/articles/guides/how-to-toast-coconut
Many ingredients such as nuts, shredded coconut, coconut flour and other flours can take advantage of toasting which usually contributes a noticeably complex nutty flavor. This is because toasting creates a myriad of flavor compounds in what is known as the Maillard reaction. One of the difficulties in baking with coconut is that its subtle flavor sometimes doesn't come through as much as I'd like. Toasting coconut can be a great way to add more complexity and depth of flavor to all sorts of coconut based recipes. ]]>Wed, 25 Aug 2010 01:15:50 -04006482010-08-25http://www.veganbaking.net/recipes/cake-decorating/frostings/rich-white-chocolate-frostinghttp://www.veganbaking.net/recipes/cake-decorating/frostings/rich-white-chocolate-frosting
This creamy Rich Vegan White Chocolate Frosting is a more intensely flavored recipe alternative to other vegan white frostings. It's great for cakes where you may be concerned that a dark chocolate frosting could be too much chocolate (if that's even possible). It takes advantage of caramelizing sugar to the thread stage of 230F (110C) where it contributes a smooth velvety texture. It also utilizes cocoa butter as the main fat with soy milk powder (not to be confused with soy flour) to help with emulsifying and enhancing creaminess. Cocoa butter can be difficult to work with because when it reaches it's melting temperature range of between 93F (34C) and 100F (38C) it melts instantly. Whisking the frosting periodically as it gradually cools back to room temperature in the refrigerator solves this issue. The stiffness of this frosting can be adjusted by adding or subtracting 1 Tablespoon of water.
]]>Fri, 20 Aug 2010 05:19:24 -04006452010-08-205http://www.veganbaking.net/recipes/breads/enriched-breads/quick-breads/banana-streusel-loafhttp://www.veganbaking.net/recipes/breads/enriched-breads/quick-breads/banana-streusel-loaf
Have you ever noticed how some pastries, cakes or breads seem to transgress cultures? Such as banana loaf? Growing up in South Africa, it was one of my favorite breads. Having moved to the United States, I now realize that Americans too have sort of a love affair with this beloved treat. And why not. The combination of sweet, ripe bananas; creamy butter; sugar and more creates a luscious and tender treat that is irresistible. And there are as many recipes for it than there are bakers who love to bake it. ]]>Wed, 18 Aug 2010 22:15:13 -04006442010-08-185http://www.veganbaking.net/recipes/frozen-desserts/ice-creams/double-chocolate-brownie-chunk-ice-creamhttp://www.veganbaking.net/recipes/frozen-desserts/ice-creams/double-chocolate-brownie-chunk-ice-cream
This Vegan Double Chocolate Brownie Chunk Ice Cream recipe was going to be called Triple Chocolate Brownie Chunk Ice Cream due to it's use of two different types of chocolate and brownie chunks mixed in. Then I realized that things were starting to get out of hand and I had to look out the window and count to ten. Its still full of chocolate though; This Category 1 chocoholic wouldn't lie. It's a great way to use up those extra Ultimate Vegan Brownies you have lying around that you've desperately been trying to eat. Wishful thinking, no? Drizzling some Double Chocolate Sauce over the top is highly recommended. ]]>Sun, 08 Aug 2010 00:01:58 -04006382010-08-085